It’s that time for year-end appeals. And there are lots and lots of nonprofit storytelling articles and advice for you to read. To make life simpler for you, I’ve created for you an infographic, a storytelling guide for nonprofit appeals, to help you remember all the ingredients that make an appeal successful. The pointers in the infographic are key steps that I have used to help non-profits I have worked with raise more than they did previously.

I want to remind you that you need a plan, a goal, and a timeline. You can read more about that here. You will need a strategy for your letter campaign, and one for your social media campaign. But, the heart of every good appeal is the story or stories you tell.

Think of your story as a short picture book. Use images to break up your text, and to tell your story. Even if someone doesn’t read the email or letter, they will look at the images.

Every good story has an audience

Before you write your story, you need to know:

Who are your audiences (and are you treating them all the same)?

Do you know what theyvalue?

What do you need to know about them to write the story for them?

What do you need them to know and do? Besides investing in your work, how can you empower them to re-tell your story and share it with others? When do you need them to do it by? How will you share the results of their efforts on your behalf?

There should be a different style and tone to an acquisition letter to new donors. Help them get to know you.

A renewal letter should include how you’ve used their last donation, what good you’ll do with another donation and why there is urgency in making a donation at this time. Also, always include a message of gratitude for the gift they’ve given in the past.

Your storytelling template

Start with an exercise known as the 5 WHYs? Why are you doing this work? You question each previous “so that” in order to get to the heart of it, the core of what you do, the impact you have, a simple answer that is compact.

Why? So that . . .

Why? So that . . .
Why? So that . . .
Why? So that . . .
Why? So that . . .

Does your final answer reflect inarguable value and impact? Will your “Why” help someone make the decision to say “yes” to your cause?

In what ways can the story be linked to something the reader (or viewer) cares about?

By supporting your appeal, will they see themselves as a better person personally or professionally (self-interest/personal identity)? This works best through images that are like them. Help people imagine the benefits they will receive. Use strategies like “Image . . .” or “Did you know . . .” or “What if?”

Will your “Why?” help someone make the decision to say “yes” to your appeal?

Whose stories will you tell?

Choose stories that will engage people emotionally. This is where you pick a character(s) that allow them to see:

Whose life will be impacted?
Use names, protected if necessary
Be descriptive
Use real images if possible

When you focus on the one (or few) you make the problem solvable. Because when the problem seems too big to solve, they find it harder to get involved. At that point, it becomes a statistic.

Grab attention with something unexpected

You can grab, and keep attention with surprise, and deep interest. Your opening statement or segment is the best place for something unexpected to get them to read/view further,

Use a surprising fact(s) that will grab the reader/viewer and make them pay attention

What is “uncommon” or counterintuitive about your work?
What are the unexpected implications of the “Why” message?
Why isn’t this work already being done in your community?

What is the challenge?

What is the challenge, and will be solved for your character?

In what ways can the reader/viewer relate?

Put the story in the larger context, but be concise.

Help people to understand and remember. What concrete images can you use to describe the challenge and the solution? Think of an image you can “imagine” with you senses (feel, hear, see, touch, smell). What concrete, visually descriptive nouns describe the challenge and solution?

Action!

Every story has action. The hero (donor, not the agency) resolves the challenge, and without that support, what would happen?

What will happen if no action is taken?

And, what will happen if the solution is applied?

What might the reader/viewer do to help?

Your focus is always on “you” the person reading/viewing. Make sure to use the word repeatedly, after all, they are seeking to make a difference. Donors want to solve problems. Note: please don’t call the donor “the hero” in your narrative. This is more a reminder to you to remember to see that the donor is who makes solutions possible.

Setting

Where does the story take place?
Has the reader/viewer been in a similar setting?

Making it credible

This is where you help people believe and agree. In what ways can the story be linked to the person reading the appeal? Or, can you link the story to an experience the audience can have for themselves?

Is there an honest and trustworthy person with authority who can serve as a spokesperson in telling the story?

What are the vivid, core, compelling details that boost credibility?

What statistics can be used to illustrate the story?

Decision-making isn’t logical, it’s emotional, according to the latest findings in neuroscience.Thus, their ultimate decision is based on self-interest. That’s emotional.“I want this.” [They want to have hope that they can make lives/the world better.] This is where we have to dig deep to understand donors’ real motivations, connecting with them on the level of shared values, and showing how they can create real, lasting change. But, you need to establish credibility in the speaker, or the agency, as authentic and worthy of the investment, and for that, you need some facts. So, this strategy follows an “if” “then” logic – “if” this is true “then” would this not also be true?

Impact

Impact in your storytelling is essential. People who want to have a positive impact in the world, want to know that their support will bring a change to others or the world. Hope is a key ingredient of impact. When they see something that agitates and disturbs them, they strive to know more, understand the contributing factors, and support new solutions. Your storytelling showcases the solution you are applying to the challenge. Is it working? How well? How much change can be made? With this much support, how much impact is possible?

Make the ASK

This is the call to action. You’ve got to make an ask and make it specific. Tell your reader/viewer what you want them to do, how to do it, and create urgency so they take action now. Suggest donation amounts. Remind them what their gift will do and how you will use it. Ask them to share your message with others. Reiterate the ask in the P.S. at the end.

Be bold in your storytelling and you will see results that support your mission. Please share your comments!

3rd party fundraiser events are common today. That doesn’t mean you should accept one. So should youaccept an offer of a business to do a fundraiser for your organization?

The answer is: it depends.

On the surface, it seems like a wonderful idea doesn’t it? Wow, someone wants to raise money for you?

But it’s not that simple.

First, it’s your reputation, so choose the company wisely – do your own research and vetting. What if the business isn’t aligned with your mission? And, what’s the likelihood of the event being successful?

Second, what do they want from you? It might truly be something where they do all the work with no involvement from you, and they just send the check for the proceeds. But in many cases, they only want to give you a percentage of the proceeds (as low as 10%).

Red flag the offer if these are part of the 3rd party fundraiser request

They want to:

use your social media to broadcast the event to your followers (or even worse, want you to use your staff’s time to promote the event, create and send emails, postings, and fliers.)

use your staff and volunteers on the day of the event to manage activities.

send thank yous and receipts to everyone who participates financially. (if you’re a small staff, this is particularly challenging).

use your liability insurance for the event.

get you to invite all of your supporters to the event – if you’ve been busy cultivating your donors and their engagement, imagine what a confusing message this sends!

Other questions you might ask

Have they successfully done a 3rd party fundraiser for another organization, and if so, how much did they raise for the charity? (Are they also affiliated with that charity, and is that an appropriate charity to be linked to yours?) If they raised $25,000 and all you have to do is show up on the day of the event and say a few words, it might be worth it.

Does it tie to your mission? If it ties to your mission such as pet supplies for an animal welfare group, or a tech firm putting on a technology expo and you’re focused on getting girls into coding and technology, it might make sense to partner.

Will they sign a 3rd party fundraising agreement?

This is a board-approved document that outlines:

the permissions to use organizational materials, logo, or any indication of affiliation only for this event including a point about not altering the logo for their purposes, or not.

your discretion as to whether you are able and or willing to post the 3rd party fundraiser on official organization social channels and website.

how charitable receipts will be handled. For example, cash must be accompanied with the identifying donor’s information, address, etc. And, that donations must be given to the organization within 30 days of the end of the event. Or, that you will not provide receipts, and the dollars raised cannot be considered a charitable donation for individuals but only to the business.

most importantly, that your organization will not be held liable for any issues, injuries, damages to persons or property, or any other incidents that arise during your 3rd party fundraiser event.

get it signed in advance of the event. And make sure your board approves the event.

Third party fundraiser events can be a wonderful thing if the business really has the charity’s best interests in mind. But the charity must weigh the “cost” in time, staff, and donor engagement/confusion before acceptance. If it seems too good to be true, it just might be.

If you haven’t started your Annual Appeal planning by now, you’re already behind.

You’re probably thinking: Gosh, it’s still summer and school is just starting!

But the truth is that if you want to achieve some real financial and donor relationship goals this year, getting started right now will ensure your boss or board (and you) aren’t disappointed with the return.

So, take time to get your goals set and systems in place first. You’ll thank me later.

Goal-setting

Financial

You may have already put a number in the budget. How much did say you were going to raise? Was it based on real numbers from last year? Or what you needed to make ends meet? Most of all, get clear in your mind what number you’re shooting for. Because without a goal, you have no way to measure your success.

Donor

Here’s where you can see how you can better interact with your donors. These are the people who care, who love being part of changing the world through you! So set some goals like:

Whether you can be improving donor retention with improving the stories you share. [This is very important: only 46% of donors gave a 2nd gift!] If your donor retention last year was 40% or 80%, you could set a goal of increasing it by 10-15%.

How you can reengage donors who didn’t give last year to give again. If you take time to review what they gave for previously or when, you might determine a strategy that fits them.

Take some time in reviewing your lists to see donor giving trends and see if there are some major donor prospects you haven’t yet developed.

Put together an Annual Appeal Team

Please don’t try to go it alone, even if you’re a solo executive director or development person. Depending on your nonprofit’s size, get a couple of staff, volunteers, or board members to help you. You will need feedback on your story, on segmenting lists, on creating a social media timeline, and people willing to write notes, and to make a visit or some calls to major donors. Therefore, get these people lined up now. Your appeal results will be stronger for it.

Annual Appeal Timeline

Yep, the timeline – that’s how you’ll see you’re already behind. Remember, you’re working on two tracks now: donor engagement, and the whole production aspect of the year end appeal.

Donor engagement timeline:

In the best planning, you’ve already been building relationships with donors. This essential work needs to have already be happening to engage them in how you’re using their support to create impact, to show them that you see them as the fans they are, and to lead them toward wanting to give you a year-end gift. So, what if you haven’t started? And what kind of simple events can you plan in the next two months to see people face-to-face? Set up meetings with the executive director and various donors; get your board to arrange a donor thank-you event; invite a “donor advisory board” of folks to come and hear about your work and offer input.

While you’re getting in some face time with donors, make sure you’re communicating with donors who are giving now – perhaps a welcome pack and special new donor thank you; heartfelt, hand-signed thank-yous that are as personal as possible; or sending a donor-driven, story-focused newsletter right now.

So here’s the annual appeal production timeline you should be working with right now:

NOW

Hold a brainstorming meeting with staff to determine your appeal’s theme and messaging

The theme is usually 3-5 words that encapsulate the vision you’re working toward. It might be something that fits the journey of a client whose story you will share.

Whose story will you share? Do you have a picture (and permission to use it)? Since stories drive donations, this is the heart of your appeal. But what if your nonprofit serves at-risk people who need to stay anonymous? Here’s the bottom line when telling their stories.

Always get written permission from clients before publishing their stories.

Get creative in shielding personal details and identities of the client unless they are okay with sharing.

Be transparent about what you are doing. In other words, footnote the story with something like: “While this story is true, the client’s name and image may have been changed to protect privacy. Thank you for understanding.”

Consider including a donor’s story as part of the annual appeal package. Donors also have a story. And that story is powerful. Their story can help you move others to become donors. People like to be part of a movement. The donor can be the hero of the story.

Create aProduction Timeline working back from your mailing date

Things your timeline should include:

Time to write your annual appeal draft and have it reviewed by all the people who think they should comment

Time for segmenting your donor database

Finalizing your draft

Deciding what else you want to send in the annual appeal such as a slip reminding to ask for a matching gift from an employer

Purging people from your list who haven’t donated in years

Talking with your designer, and getting specs and costs from printer and mail house

PLEASE DON’T SEND THE SAME THING TO EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER GIVEN YOU MONEY!

Since every donor is unique and special, they have a different reason for being involved. Hopefully, you’ve categorized that reason somewhere in their record. And someone who’s given you less than $100 should receive a different appeal than someone who gives you $500 or more.

In the case of smaller donors, ask them to repeat their giving from last year by suggesting a string of amounts that show an increase from that gift that will be reflected on your remit piece or donation landing page.

You’ve got this. Just get your plan, timeline, team, story, and database lined up now. Please don’t wait until October. Get your system in place to assure your success. If you’re having difficulties or want to improve your results, please get in touch.

Recently I was talking with a board member of a nonprofit who was considering hiring a development director. This board member has been on several nonprofit boards, and worked on some capital campaigns as well. So, imagine my surprise when he said:

“Our executive director is wonderful but doesn’t have a background in fundraising. Or much time to focus on it. Most of the board don’t have friends with money. Most of them are uncomfortable with fundraising. So, we need to hire a first-rate fundraiser. But we don’t have a lot of money to hire one.”

Sure, there is plenty of evidence that small nonprofits have a hard time finding and keeping skilled development directors. Why? They say it’s because they don’t have the money to pay competitive salaries.

But is the issue salary?

to hire a development coordinator first that can ASSIST the executive and board with the activities that support fundraising.

a fundraising consultant to help them think through the strategy they need through a two-year plan tied to the strategic plan.

a budget for some software tools, and creation of donor materials.

Unfortunately, the Executive Director and Board often don’t see it as bringing on expertise to help them get better at their role in fundraising: they see hiring a development director as a way to avoid or minimize their involvement even further.

Many Executive Directors are program experts and either loathe fundraising or simply avoid it other than grants. That’s an attitude problem that is indefensible. If you are passionate about your mission, you’re eager to talk with donors and funders about how you’re achieving it.

In our conversation, I learned that this same executive director is willing to write grants, but sees the Board as the one who should be doing individual fundraising. Based on what? Is there a plan? A donor list and giving history? Donor communication pieces? A case for support?

My advice to this board member was this:

Put together a job description for the development coordinator (or associate). Hint: You need realistic performance expectations on the part of the executive director and board as what can reasonably happen if it’s a one-person development office.

Hire a fundraising consultant to help create a plan.

Get a commitment from the executive director to grow skills in this vital area.

Give the development consultant permission to have input on budgets and fundraising goals. The consultant will be more reasonable on what is possible to raise over time and based on the organization’s strategic plan.

Invest in software systems and infrastructure to support fundraising. And you might need time to get all that giving history changed over from a spreadsheet or a database.

Most importantly, you need an understanding among all staff (and that includes program people) that fundraising and relationship building are part of everyone’s job! It’s not the responsibility of one person. Fundraising is important programmatic work.

Newsflash: hiring a development director still won’t relieve you of fundraising

Even at small organizations with budgets around $600,000, hiring a development director won’t relieve the board and ED of fundraising. If you already have a development coordinator, a good development director will be able to create more opportunities for board engagement in fundraising, rather than lessening the board’s involvement. What I see is that too many executive directors and boards have unrealistic expectations about what a development director could accomplish without a team and the right tools in place.

If the following things are in place, a development director can be successful:

· compelling mission and a strong strategic plan

· the leadership, vision, and skill of the executive director;

· an engaged, committed, and high-functioning board

· development tools that are effective and efficient to use

· support staff that can manage the details (fundraising is all about the details)

· a strong working partnership between the board and the executive director.

Be smart. Start small and grow. Prepare for bringing on a development director. And when you do, know that the fundraising work you do will really begin to pay dividends that lead to greater impact.

A high-performing board is an entity nonprofits dream of having. Is your nonprofit’s board of directors living up to expectations? And, are your expectations appropriate for them?

When staff and board leadership are disappointed in their board’s performance, it’s often because they have not made their expectations clear – particularly in fundraising. High-performing boards build a culture that everyone works within and understands. What’s yours?

High-performing boards have a strong board culture

When there is a reluctance to truly share the culture and expectations of board members during the interview process, you know that you are setting up a culture that won’t serve you well. I’ve heard about why from governance committees: Fear. Fear that a potential board member will be scared away. But in worrying about scaring them off before they join, you’re forgetting one very important factor. And that factor is the passion they feel for your sector. And that they believe you have the solution to an important community issue. But, that’s just the beginning. A strong board culture includes:

sharing a set of values that includes doing the right thing for the right reason,

encouraging questions and avoiding “group think,”

being willing to challenge management when making strategic decisions.

Therefore, to build a high-performing board of directors, you must be intentional with whom you choose. Start with how you present the opportunity and responsibilities, from the earliest stages of the recruitment process.

Ensure the nominating committee is considering your nonprofit’s unique needs at this point in its organizational development.

I’m not a big supporter of a board “matrix” in governance recruitment, unless it focuses on whether they can help you achieve your strategic goals over the next 2-3 years. For most nonprofits, fundraising is a constant need. So your matrix can include networks you’re trying to reach into, new partnerships, leadership skills, or special talents that help you achieve mission. Be careful in assigning skills to your matrix – if you need a financial person because you’re trying to figure out your earned revenue model, make sure it’s one that has skills in that specific area, and that they really want to help you figure that out.

Talk through responsibilities – including fundraising – during first meeting with potential board members.

You should have written statement of roles and responsibilities, They should include expectations for engagement, giving and fundraising. Other questions include: are board members also expected to participate in events? Attend a certain percentage of meetings? Serve on committees or task forces? Talk through each of these points with potential members so expectations are well-defined.

Explain the three legs of good governance: fiduciary, strategic, and generative.

Many boards get stuck in the weeds of fiduciary oversight of your assets. Get a board treasurer they trust to report out on the important stuff. Make sure you’re looking at funding diversity and sustainability (see my post on financial sustainability). Strategy, the second leg, includes setting priorities for your organization, developing and improving various strategies you’re using to meet your mission, and then monitoring their performance. This is often delegated to staff to monitor with very little board oversight. Spend at least 20 minutes of your board meeting on strategic discussion. The third leg of good governance is generative: not just doing work better; but ensuring your organization does better work. Generative thinking includes probing assumptions held in how you decide things, and living the organizational values that should be driving strategy and tactics. Generative mode is often where board members spend the least amount of time, and yet that’s where real governance truly happens. It’s how you make leaps forward. Remember, boards exist to supplement management expertise by asking a different set of questions. High-performing boards spend time in generative mode.

Make it clear during board member orientation that fundraising is a priority.

Leadership staff should discuss and share fundraising goals and challenges with new board members. We can’t expect board members to excel at something unless we give them the appropriate training. Even if they’re more experienced as a board member, they may need a refresher in major gift fundraising. Once onboard, have them meet one-on-one with development staff to discuss strategies.

A high-performing board supports and guides new members in their role.

Staff and veterans of the board should assist new members in focusing on strategic priorities. Create a plan to help them to do so. Start a buddy system with the new member where they can ask questions with a more seasoned member. A high-performing board always seek third-party training on good governance. Try bringing someone in to help the board develop their fundraising skills.

Have board members evaluate themselves – and set goals.

Led by the board chair or vice chair, it’s a good idea to ask each member – and the board as a whole – to evaluate their goals and performance. In addition, having them set thoughtful goals on how they’d like to engage in the coming year gives you something to work with as you strive to keep them involved. A high-performing board ensures that this role be led by their board peers on the governance or nominating committee annually.

By strategically recruiting the right people for your board, making your expectations clear and helping them hold themselves accountable, you will be well on your way to a high-performing board strategy.

Sara Jane Lowry is a local consultant and coach to nonprofits. Reach her at sarajane@sarajanelowry.com or (412) 821-0242.

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